Cecil The Lion Immortalized in New Painting To Raise Money For People of Africa

Editor's Note: The story of Cecil the lion has no shortage of the outraged, armed with plenty of emotion but darned few facts about wildlife, calling for the heads of every human involved in the hunt. They might not know anything about the "wild" in wildlife, but they appear certain that "hunter" and "fair game" are synonyms. They shout, threaten and vilify, but offer absolutely nothing positive in response. Today, the story of a North Carolina wildlife artist (who happens to be a hunter) who has been inspired to try and make something positive from the Cecil controversy while also dispelling some misconceptions about wild animals. As is frequently the case, it's someone from the ranks of the vilified- a hunter- who's working to conserve an often species overlooked by animal rightists: Africa's people Read the story. Watch the video. Then help educate the ignorant-patiently.

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BOONE, N.C. – (Aug. 12, 2015) As the Cecil the lion controversy exploded all over the world, death threats and insults filled up feeds on Facebook and Twitter. Journalists lined up to cover a fiery debate over hunting in Africa.

Forgotten in the Cecil saga it seemed, were the people of Africa, and that didn't sit well with renowned wildlife artist Ryan Kirby. So Kirby did what he normally does when something inspires him, he began to paint.

By the time he was finished, Cecil was brilliantly immortalized forever.

"Cecil The Hunter," the original oil on canvas painting took Kirby nearly a week to complete and depicts a proud and massive Cecil, standing over a freshly killed kudu.

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"I'm a hunter, and proud to say so. I felt that Cecil needed to be painted not as a lethargic cat lying around for tourists to photograph, but as he truly was - Africa's greatest hunter," said Kirby.

Kirby, himself a lifelong outdoorsman and conservationist, doesn't mince words when talking about Cecil. "Cecil wasn't a furry little pet, or endangered or helpless," says Kirby. "He was a wild beast. He killed for food, for territory and for conquest."

As the hours at his easel passed, Kirby made a big decision.

"I decided to auction the painting on eBay and donate 100 percent of the proceeds to a charity to benefit the people of Africa," said Kirby.

Kirby chose Wine To Water, a non-profit organization that's dedicated to bringing clean drinking water to remote areas of the world, and whose founder, Doc Hendley, was featured as a CNN Hero in 2009. The proceeds from the auction of "Cecil The Hunter" will be used by Wine To Water in rural Africa.

The auction is currently live and scheduled to end at 7:00 AM on Aug. 22. To view "Cecil The Hunter" on eBay, click here. Even users who can't bid are encouraged to share the video and use the hashtag #CecilTheHunter.

"If the money raised from my painting can make a difference in just one life, I believe it can do more for my fellow man than all the hashtags, online petitions and death threats ever will," says Kirby. "This is a one-of-a-kind original oil painting of the most famous lion in history and I believe that together with the winning bidder, we have the opportunity to change the world."

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To learn more about wildlife artist Ryan Kirby, visitRyanKirbyArt.com or follow Kirby on Facebook,Instagram and Twitter.

About Ryan Kirby:
Ryan Kirby is an award-winning wildlife artist who focuses on original oil on canvas paintings of a variety of animals including white-tailed deer, elk, waterfowl, wild turkeys, upland birds, sporting dogs and more.

A lifelong hunter, angler and conservationist, Kirby was named the National Wild Turkey Federation's (NWTF) 2016 "Stamp Print Artist of the Year" and "Artist of The Year" in 2013 and 2014 by The Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA). Kirby's work has helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for wildlife conservation through the fundraising banquets of groups like NWTF, QDMA and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.

Kirby also is a featured exhibitor at the annual Southeastern Wildlife Exposition in Charleston, S.C. He lives in Boone, N.C. with his wife, Kim. To view Kirby's online gallery, visitRyanKirbyArt.com.